Musical prodigy Rema releases his highly anticipated 17-track debut album, Rave & Roses.
Three years since Rema was introduced to the world by Jonzing World founder D’Prince, what the Benin City native has gone on to achieve is much bigger than anyone could have ever dreamed up. Rave & Roses is an album that portrays both sides of Rema’s personality, Rave embodies his infectious energy and youth, showcasing a 21-year old who’s navigating his way through love and lust whilst enjoying life. Roses digs deeper and speaks on Rema’s personal story of loss, whilst revealing honest tales of how he often feels as though he’s carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Since his inception, Rema (real name Divine Ikubor) came in and completely switched up the game and rapidly became one of the biggest and most internationally known names in the new wave of Afrobeats stars. His debut EP ‘Iron Man’ – which included breakout hit ‘Dumebi’ – catapulted Rema globally resulting in him gracing the covers of Dazed & Confused and The Fader in his debut year.
This was matched with early co-signs from the likes of Barack Obama, Rihanna, Drake, Skepta and most recently FKA Twigs who featured Rema on her critically acclaimed collaborations project alongside PA Salieu and The Weeknd. Putting his own supernatural spin on the genre, what makes Rema stand out is his ability to bounce between influences, citing African, Indian and Arabic music as having an integral impact on his sound.
Penning every single lyric on the project, Rema worked with a collection of A-List producers including Andre Vibez, Sarz, London, Dez Wright, Kill September, 1 Mind, Kel P & KDagre8t, Higo, Altims. Coining a new sub-genre dubbed AfroRave, Rave & Roses is a masterclass in his range and musicality as he opens up and lets us explore his weird and wonderful universe. Rema set the tone early on with ‘Soundgasm’ which dropped last summer and displayed a different side to Rema. True to his trademark tag ‘Another banger’, the album is bursting with his pioneering flare that accumulates into an album worthy of Hall Of Fame status.
Raves & Roses features a handpicked selection of features including U.S singer Chris Brown, 6LACK, UK rapper AJ Tracey & French songstress Yseult.
Stream Rema’s “Rave & Roses” below:
